10% of Female College Students Were Sexually Assaulted Last Year

According to a new study of nine schools.

In a new study released today, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) revealed some frankly depressing numbers about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses.

In conjunction with the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault and the Office on Violence Against Women, the BJS surveyed more than 20,000 college students in a Campus Climate Survey Validation Study. The point of this particular study was to test the survey as a way for schools to effectively and efficiently collect “valid school-level data on campus climate and sexual victimization.” It is hoped that more of these types of studies, done at the college level, will help school administrations understand both how and how many students face sexual victimization on campus — and allow them to implement policies to bring those numbers way down.

The study found that, at the nine schools surveyed, on average, 10.3% of undergraduate females experienced a “completed sexual assault” during the 2014-15 school year. However, that number reflects the survey population as a whole — the percentage per school ranged from 4.2% to 20%. On average, across all of the schools, 4.2% of undergraduate females surveyed reported being raped. However, only 12.5% of those incidents were reported to any official.

The study also found that at all of the schools, “non heterosexual students were more likely to be victimized than heterosexual students.”

There is some hope to be found in these statistics, though. As Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network president Scott Berkowitz said in a statement, "[The huge variation in rates] demonstrates that rape isn’t a normal part of the college experience, but rather a horror that can be prevented with strong action from campus leadership and by holding more perpetrators accountable."

These numbers make it clear that we still have a ways to go when it comes to dealing with campus sexual assault. But the implementation and results of this survey will help both the government and schools across the country learn more about what’s happening in our colleges and how different schools’ environments and policies affect sexual assault on campus. Hopefully, our colleges and universities will start paying attention to what students are saying — and finally make some real, meaningful change to keep all of us safer.